Police constable pair speak candidly ahead of new documentary

Bradford policing pair speak candidly before new documentary

INSPIRATIONAL women working on the front line of policing in Bradford will star as part of a new six-part television documentary series from UKTV’s W channel.

The Shift: Women on the Force premieres tomorrow at 10pm, and the show delves into the professional and personal lives of hard-working women across all levels of West Yorkshire Police.

Police Constable Gemma Sharman, 31, is one of the women featured in the series, and she speaks openly about her experience of PTSD after attending a suicide incident, while on the NPT.

Speaking to the Telegraph and Argus, the Bradford officer said: "The suicide was in April 2018. It wasn't the first one I've been to but something about it stuck with me.

"I was stubborn and carried on working for about three months but I didn't feel like myself at all.

"My sergeant was brilliant. She practically marched me to the doctors to get checked up and once I was diagnosed with PTSD, she arranged for me to see counsellors and psychologists.

"I try to be open about it now to show other people that it's okay to talk. You don't have to deal with it yourself.

"It's not a sign of weakness to speak to your team, your family and your friends."

PC Sharman returned to West Yorkshire Police in January and now works on the response team.

She enjoys her new role and she said: "You can have all the best laid plans in the world but you could get any kind of 999 call.

"It's weird, wonderful and horrific all at the same time. I used to get called "magpie" by my bosses because I'd always run myself into the ground but I'm much more steady now.

"I've just learnt to deal with one job at a time."

She admitted there was one aspect of her NPT role that she missed though, saying: "I loved dealing with the drug jobs.

"They involved weeks of research and intelligence so it was satisfying when they came off after putting all that work in.

"Obviously I enjoyed the part when it came to putting the door in and getting hold of the drugs and suspects too."

Police Constable Laura Gargett, 48, is also featured in the UKTV series.

The mum-of-two has 10 years of experience in the force and is part of a uniformed Response Team dealing with urgent 999 calls in Bradford, based at Keighley Police Station.

Between dealing with a street disturbance in the city and taking a new recruit under her wing, Laura also speaks about the breakdown of her marriage, which she blames partly on her commitment to the job and the irregular hours.

Speaking to the Telegraph and Argus, she said: "Working on the force has a massive impact on your personal life.

"You're always a police officer as you have to deal with anything you come across outside of work too.

"You have to be selective about your friends because they may end up involved in active criminal investigations or put up racist posts.

"It could even be a family member, but you'll always have to challenge it and distance yourself from them, as you could never support or condone that."

Asked whether working on the force takes its toll, PC Gargett said: "You've very much got to distance yourself emotionally.

"People scream in your face, telling you that you're a useless waste of skin. They say they hope you and your children die of cancer and just the worst things imaginable.

"They want you to react but you can't take it personally. They don't hate you as an individual, it's what you represent, law and order."

West Yorkshire Police has more than 1,600 female police officers on duty, ranging from Immediate Response Teams to CID, Neighbourhood Police or Operational Units.

Recent figures show the proportion of female police officers in England and Wales has increased from seven per cent in 1977 to 30 per cent in 2018.

However, men still dominate senior positions by over 80 per cent.

Dee Collins, Chief Constable at West Yorkshire Police, said: “From a service that has been portrayed as male-dominated and masculine, we've seen a sea change and today some the UK's most high-profile senior police officers are women.

"But clearly we need to be enabling more women to fulfil their careers in policing.

"Inclusion is really important to West Yorkshire Police and a vital ingredient for the future policing of our communities and I am really keen to build a more diverse workforce.”

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here